Paradox
by KeepsAwayTheNargles
Summary: Pavarti Patil tweets off her sister's homework quite often, but what happens when Flitwick begins to see the similarities between the twins' essays? Will Padma continue to help her twin, and if not, how will she reconcile her sister's lazy behavior without hurting her feelings. There Is some time travel Involved to stop something from happening!


AU: I wrote this for a challenge In which I had to write Pavarti Patil and time travel, so this Is something I came up with, I hope you like It!

It's also, unbeta'd as It took wayy too long to find someone, and then they ditched out on me soz *Salty*

* * *

Parvarti wasn't the type to automatically find a library when she needed answers, most of the time she had a friend, or Ravenclaw sister she would ask all her question to. It bothered her though, that this time, Padma was refusing a peek at her notes.

"Please!" She begs. "It will be the last time, I promise! It's for Snape!"

Hoping to pull her onto her side of the argument with the name of the insufferable teacher. Even Padma with her near perfect marks, recieved scoldings a few number of times.

She crosses her arms. "I'm sorry, but, Flitwick asked me to stay after his class the other day. He told me that our essays had been too similar for coincedence, said, If I didn't put my foot down he'd flunk you."

"So your trying to protect me? Why can't you let me flunk myself? Can't I learn my own lesson?"

Padma raises her voice, "But you won't, will you?"

Padma is used to her sister coming to her with her homework in tow, and Flitwick wouldn't think twice over flunking a cheater _. 'They never get too far in life'_ and _to 'Just let their choices reflect their karma.'_

That's why Flitwick told Padma that he'd flunk her instead. _'Should never have enabled cheating. Ravenclaw's are smarter than that.'_

Parvarti was sorted into Gryffindor, instead of Ravenclaw because there is a single trait that is very prominant to her personality, and absent in her sister. It's that she has a very strong sense of recklessness and a selfish heart. If something isn't directly related to her, there's a very likely chance she'll act now and think about consequences later. If Padma told her the truth, she would prabably steal her notes.

With a sigh, Parvarti knows that her sister won't budge from her decision. It's her own fault for being too dependent of her sources, and allowing herself to cheat for too long. One thing is for sure, her essay won't get written standing here.

"Fine! Fine, you win. I'll go somewhere else." She turns around to face the Gryffindor portrait and mutters 'Gold Ribbons' to the Fat Lady.

Padma shouts just as it's an inch from closing. "Might want to try the Library!"

xxxxxx

Grumbling with an arm full of books, Parvarti opens the unfamiliar door and closes her eyes for a moment, admittedly, enjoying the scent of fresh ink and parchement. The pages of books always smelled better when they were bound, heavy and old, ones that hadn't been moved in ages. Her anger subsides and is replaced with a feeling of inspiration.

After laying everything out onto her side of the table, including, notes, pens, parchment, colored sticky notes and markers, paperclips etc. Parvarti straightens her skirt, and goes to retrieve a Potions book. They're supposed to be studying Skele-grow, the potion for regenerating human bones. The specific one Snape assigned, isn't in the restricted section, but she overheard Micheal Corner talking to Cho Chang, apparently it's quite grusome. It goes through, not only the ingredients, but the biology of what happens while the patient is surely, knocked out.

Browsing though, her being the only person in the back corner, Parvarti's skin pricks with goose flesh. Looking down at her paper for the correct author name, she stops when she finds the correct section. Reaching for a particularly large, leather book, she inpects it. Curiously enough, it doesn't have a title on the front, or the spine, so it must be on the inside. She just wants to check and make sure it isn't this one ...

 _Whirrrr ... krrrrrr ...brrrrrrang!_

Some shooting lights flash and crack around the isle, and she dances trying to avoid the backfire. With a huge amount of strength, she musters enough to close the book and shove it back where exactly it came from.

"Holy Merlin's pants! What just happened?"

It took a lot out of her to experience that, and now, baffled and terribly exhausted, she stumbles over to her study desk. Suddenly, her legs are wobbly, eyes are blurry, and her breathing dangerously shallow. Parvarti looses conciousness.

"Hmm? Where am I?"

"You slept in the library? That's not good for you ..." Madame Pince took on a tone of concern. It creeped her out.

Then it dawned on her, "I'm Parvarti."

"Oh. " Her expression fazed out into a normal, stern one. Only two students were on Madame Pince's good side; Hermione and Padma. "Classes start in half an hour, so get out. You shouldn't have been out of bed all night!"

Parvarti collected her things, and walked back up to her dorm thinking she would have to skip her first period. Snape was her second period class, and still his essay was left undone. The events of the day before confused her, somehow, she had become sick after opening a book. Must have been cursed, or something, there are scary tricks like that laying all around Hogwarts.

She wonders if visiting Madame Pomfrey would help get her out of class, but there were no symtoms present, and so it wouldn't work. Madame Pomfrey doesn't put up with any bullshit and is known for rejecting Malfoy at least three times a week for faking an illness.

"Cho, did you get Snape's essay done?" She glances over at her friend doing her makeup in the mirror of the vanity.

"Snape set an essay!? Her hand hovers over her deeply frowning lips. "When?"

I sit on the bed opposite her. "Yesterday ..."

I decide not to skip first, and head into Flitwick's class with my bag on my shoulder, not too confident about it, because I feel like he will mention his talk with my sister. I had to prove to him that I could do his work on my own.

Flitwick passes back homework, which sends me into another frenzy. "I don't recall homework being given yesterday!"

Beside me, Morag frowns, "You told me that you copied off your sister again."

I shake my head. "I did that the day before, but not yesterday, because she was pissed at me. Flitwick wasn't having it ... he told my sister he would flunk me if I did it again."

"Wow, harsh. I didn't think the old man would go that far, he's usually kind you know?" I nod to her.

Flitwick comes to our desk and throws down Morag's essay, and I don't expect one back since I slept last night.

" , I expect something better from you next time, this doesn't seem like you at all."

I gasp at the paper when I see it; the same one from the day before yesterday. I cheated and copied this from Padma, but how could I be getting it back a day late? Padma recieved hers yesterday with a note attached, that Flitwick would flunk me.

I scratch my head and look at Morag, "Didn't we get these assigned on Tuesday? That means yesterday was Wednesday and today is Thurday, right? Somehow my days are so messed up!"

Morag stares at me with empty eyes. "Are you serious right now?"

I knew something wasn't right, so I cautiously tried to explain the tingling feeling that I was having away. Hoping against all odds that there was an explantion for what was happening.

"Uhm, yesterday I don't know what happened-exactly, there was a potions book-and a flashing, banging light!-"

"Wait! Okay, now I know you need help. Today is Wednesday. Did that book hit you in the head with its light?" She chuckles.

"Oh shut it." I roll my eyes on the outside, but on the inside my ribs feel like their caving in. I think I'm having a panic attack, it can't be Wednesday. Yesterday was Wednesday, I recieved this paper with great marks ... and Snape set the essay ... that's what happened.

"Pavarti?" She tilts her head towards her. "You're starting to worry me."

I wave her away and tell her that I need to do something important. "It's nothing, I just realized that there's still homework I need to do before the next class."

Morag nods her head in an assuring way. "We've all been there. You sure you weren't wasted last night and forgot everything?"

"Maybe." I don't have time to think of another excuse to get her off my back, so I let her believe whatever she wanted.

As soon as Flitwick's class ends I'm high tailing it to the Library, and I practically run (' _No running in the Library!'_ Madame Pince shouts.) to the dark corner I was in yesterday-I mean today. The leather bound book with no title, I search for it until my eyes become dreary. I couldn't find it.

I turn to try another method to help confirm my suspicions. I am taken aback immediately when I see my sister facing me, holding the leather bound book.

"Why do you have the book? Do you know what it does?"

"Of course, why do you think I'm here?" She says sarcastically. "I'm the smart one."

My arms fold in front of my body out of habit. "That's not fair, and isn't time travel cheating?"

Padma hangs her head. "You don't understand-"

"Oh! Oh! I understand plenty! You go around with a halo above your head, saying I can't cheat, but you can?"

Pavarti can't believe her sister is doing this too. It makes her so angry, because Padma is so bossy and controlling, is this just another situation that she manipulated? That's the negative traits of her sister. The same ones everyone tends to ignore since she gets excellent marks.

She looks down. "Just let me show you! Let me explain!"

Pavarti thinks about it for a moment, but turns around and dashes away. She mutters under her breath with fevor. "If she thinks for a moment, I'll let her talk my head off again, lecture me about doing good, then she has something missing from her frontal lobe. What is she trying to do? Go back in time to prevent me from copying? I would flunk on my own if that were the case! I can't let that happen, so I have to steal her notes and copy them."

xxxxx

Padma tries really hard to remember where her original self was at this time of day yesterday-today, if Pavarti find herself first, then she may actually get a hold of the notes. Her future depends on this, so she has to be stopped. She retraces her steps all around the school, but never once meets up with her other self in this timeline. Of course, she can't be seen by anyone especially herself, because those are the rules of time travel, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't stalk herself. Wait for a moment of vulnerability, and snatch her own bag away.

In the midst of imagining the bizzare scenario, she spies her sister walking ten feet away. Padma stalks her, watching to see if she'll pull the notes out, but she never does. She has to act quick before she heads into the Gryffindor common room, where she won't be able to enter.

"Hey! Don't pretend like you didn't see me!" She shouts aggressively at Pavarti.

She turns around with a sad expression across her somber features, like a hurt baby bird. "What?"

"You heard me!" Padma continues, heated and afraid of the situation at hand. "Give me the notes!"

Then her expression deadens, all feelings went numb. "You don't have to make fun of me, okay? I'll just do the work myself."

This throws Padma off center a little. Something's not right, why isn't Pavarti mad at me right now? Then it dawns on her, that this is Pavarti of this timeline, not the time traveling one. Which means, they must have just had their fight from yesterday-today.

"Oh. Did you just talk to me?" She asks cautiously.

Pavarti rolls her eyes, an obvious yes.

"Okay, your mad at me now, but can I ask you a stupid question?"

"Will you stop following me around, then?" Her sister asks Padma with attitude.

Padma nods. "Where was I just at?"

Pavarti rolls her eyes once more, but complies. "Out by the greenhouses." She mutters. adding unintelligeable sass under her breath, along the lines of ' _Probably asking for extra credit.'_

"Thanks!" She runs off in that direction. If she could just get to herself before Pavarti does. Down by the greenhouses she can hear voices, they aren't being very quiet. As she moves closer Padma can hear that it's herself and Pavarti.

"I know that your mad at me asking-just please!" She begs innocently, acting like she doesn't know just what to say.

"No! Look Pavarti, unless you want to flunk you have to do it the hard way, and just study the material!"

I am practically screaming at Parvarti, so here ten feet away I'm cringing at myself for acting so bossy. Am I really like that? I don't like how controlling I sound.

Padma from the past, turns her heel and stalks away, but what I see is that Pavarti reaches a hand inside my bag, sucessfully pulling out my notes.

Gasping I catch up to Pavarti. "Don't- don't use those notes! I already warned you!"

"Oh God, what? I recieve lectures from you twice in a row! Is it not clear what I plan to do? Stop telling me what to do, you aren't my gaurdian!"

I kneel down with my hand on my knee, and another holding the stitch in my ribs. Pavarti stares at me an outright glare of anamosity.

"Let me make my own choices!" She shouts not giving me a moment.

I breathe in and straighten up. "Pavarti, I have something to confess..."

That's clearly not what she was expecting, because her head does a double take. "Huh?"

"I'm very sorry, I should have told you before we messed with time, right?" I sigh.

Pavarti's expression softens a little. "Told me what?"

I hesitate, ready to lose all of her trust. "... I lied."

"What?"

I nod in response. "I lied about what Flitwick said. He wasn't going to flunk you."

She waits for me to say more, totally enraptured in my confession. Not afraid to look at me head on, but instead of anger it's one of hurt.

"Yes, I told you that he would flunk you, so that you would think twice about stealing my notes in the first place, but ...well, it backfired on me, didn't it? You time traveled to do it anyway."

Pavarti takes a few steps back. "That's not fair ... t-that's not fair! " Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, so she starts again with an unwavering voice. "I time traveled by accident! I only decided this," she holds up the notes, "after I came here!"

I'm taken aback in shock. Accident? "How can you time travel by accident?"

"I don't know. I grabbed that black book instead of the potions book, and it just zapped light everywhere, and then bam! Here I came."

Pavarti looked exhausted from the emotional blow, and retelling of events, and I can tell her legs are wobbling again, so she sits down on the grass. I follow suit.

"So you were really going to do the assignment?" I ask curiously.

"Yes! And what about you? Why did you time travel!" Pavarti asks in an accusatory tone.

I hesitate to answer again ... "Well ... I just wanted to ..."

"Spit it out!" Pavarti smacks my arm impatiently.

"I was originally trying to go into the future, to see if you really did steal my notes like I thought you would ... but since future traveling is harder ... I landed in the past instead. I saw that you were going to steal them, so I followed you," I finish my speil with a long breath, and put the cherry on top. "Also, to stop Flitwick from flunking me, because of you."

"What!?" Pavarti's eyes go comically wide. "No!"

I nod comically, sadly. My sister cracks up laughing beside me and I join in. Then she takes one serious look at me.

"You are so dead. Why did you lie to me!"

I shake my head in defense. "Because, you wouldn't have listened to me! Look where we are now, you have my stolen notes in your hand."

Pavarti's mouth drops open with the insult. "Don't you dare! I wouldn't have done this had you not lied to me in the first place!"

The silence hangs in the air, and it's so ironic that we're argueing about paradoxical events, while being stuck in a paradox. We'd better hope that our selves from today don't come traipsing down to the greenhouses.

"Look at us, fighting like cats?" Pavarti says. "We know each other so well, but in the end we're too opposite to work together."

I smile, "I don't think so. There's still time left before second period, and I can help you with your essay."


End file.
